Thursday, February 19, 2009

Topo maps, Allen De Hart's book, and the Ocracoke Ponies

It's been an eventful week when it comes to planning my cross-state trek.

Yesterday, I finished Allen De Hart's book, Hiking North Carolina's Mountains-to-Sea Trail. It was terrific. I did not think I would be able to read a book where the majority of the information was where to turn next; it turned out to be great.

I already get the feeling that the information in this book will be some of the most valuable to me as I traverse the Tar Heel State.

Also, I finally have the TOPO NC program working on my computer, and it is fantastic. I routed section 1 (Great Smoky Mountains) on the maps, and I was even able to generate an elevation profile. Check it out!
I'm not sure how I will route the off road sections that aren't on the topo map, but I'll figure something out, even if it is just looking at a map and approximating. I welcome any suggestions.


Very Cool!

Finally, last Saturday was Valentine's Day, and this year my girlfriend got something a little unconventional that she absolutely loved. An Ocracoke Pony!

What?

Yes, I actually stumbled upon this while doing research. Cape Hatteras National Seashore manages a small group of ponies on Ocracoke Island. For a small donation, you can "adopt" one of these ponies, and that's exactly what I did. See!

His name is Southwind and he was born on Ocracoke Island in 1982.

Anyway, I'm beginning to gather more information and I feel like planning is really starting to kick into full swing.

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